Twist-tie product

ABSTRACT

A twist-tie includes a fastener having a malleable material surrounded by an outer coating having a longitudinal axis and extending between a first end and a second end; and an indicia portion extending at least partially along the longitudinal axis, the indicia portion including at least a portion that is attached to the fastener and at least a portion that is separated from the fastener, wherein a separation between the indicia portion and the fastener defines a slit that extends from an open end toward a closed end in a direction of at least one of the first end toward the second end and the second end toward the first end.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/745,919, filed Jan. 17, 2020; which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/457,183, filed Mar. 13, 2017, nowU.S. Pat. No. 10,538,372; which claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 62/307,766, filed Mar. 14, 2016, whichapplications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to twist-tie fasteners andmethods of use.

BACKGROUND

There are many uses for twist-ties. In a grocery store, for example,consumers commonly place produce items, bakery items, bulk food items,and the like in bags and use twist-ties to temporarily close the bags.Cost-effective manufacture, refill, or replacement of the twist-ties isadvantageous.

For the reasons stated above and for other reasons stated below, whichwill become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading andunderstanding the present specification, there is a need in the art foran improved twist-tie fastener.

SUMMARY

The following summary is made by way of example and not by way oflimitation. It is merely provided to aid the reader in understandingsome of the aspects of the inventive features.

In one embodiment, the twist-tie fastener includes an indicia portionthat can be used by consumers to provide indicia on the twist-tie inaddition to the fastening function of the twist-tie. The indicia portionmay include a blank space/area for the consumers to write notes, labelthe goods, and apply other indicia thereon. The indicia portion mayinclude pre-applied or printed indicia such as coupon codes,advertising, or trademarks.

The twist-ties of the present disclosure may be provided in a cluster,wherein a plurality of the twist-ties are attached to the cluster bymethods such as by adhesive. The cluster, once spent, may be disposedfrom a dispenser unit and replaced. The dispenser unit itself may beconfigured as a disposable product, wherein the dispenser can be thrownaway or disposed of once the twist-tie cluster is spent. Conventionaltwist-tie dispensers may comprise a housing and a twist-tie clusterattached to the housing. The housing may include a generally U-shapedportion forming a pocket that is for receiving the twist-tie cluster. Arear portion or wall of the housing may define mounting members used formounting the housing to a fixture at a consumer location such as agrocery store.

According to one example embodiment, the twist-tie of the presentdisclosure includes a fastener portion extending between a first end anda second end and an indicia portion extending at least partially alongthe fastener portion, the indicia portion including at least a portionthat is attached to the fastener portion and at least a portion that isseparated from the fastener portion by a slit, the slit extending froman open end toward a closed end in a direction of at least one of thefirst end toward the second end and the second end toward the first end.

According to another example embodiment of the twist-tie of the presentdisclosure, the twist-tie includes a fastener portion extending betweena first end and a second end and an indicia portion extending at leastpartially along the fastener portion, the indicia portion including atleast a portion that is attached to the fastener portion and at least aportion that is separated from the fastener portion by a first slitextending from an open end toward a closed end in the direction of thefirst end toward the second end and a second slit extending from an openend toward a closed end in the direction of the second end toward thefirst end.

According to another example embodiment of a twist-tie of the presentdisclosure, the twist-tie includes a fastener including a malleablematerial surrounded by an outer coating having a longitudinal axis andextending between a first end and a second end and an indicia portionextending at least partially along the longitudinal axis, the indiciaportion including at least a portion that is attached to the fastenerand at least a portion that is separated from the fastener, wherein aseparation between the indicia portion and the fastener defines a slitthat extends from an open end toward a closed end in a direction of atleast one of the first end toward the second end and the second endtoward the first end.

According to another example aspect, the present disclosure is directedto an inventive twist-tie cluster. The twist-tie cluster of the presentdisclosure includes a plurality of twist-ties defining the cluster, eachtwist-tie comprising a fastener portion extending between a first endand a second end and an indicia portion extending at least partiallyalong the fastener portion, the indicia portion including at least aportion that is attached to the fastener portion and at least a portionthat is separated from the fastener portion by a slit, the slitextending from an open end toward a closed end in a direction of atleast one of the first end toward the second end and the second endtoward the first end.

According to one example embodiment of the twist-tie cluster of thepresent disclosure, the twist-tie cluster includes a plurality oftwist-ties defining the cluster, wherein the plurality of twist-tiesdefines twist-tie pairs. Each twist-tie of the pair defines a fastenerportion extending along a longitudinal direction between a first end anda second end and an indicia portion extending at least partially alongthe fastener portion, the indicia portion including at least a portionthat is attached to the fastener portion and at least a portion that isseparated from the fastener portion by a slit, the slit extending froman open end toward a closed end in a direction of at least one of thefirst end toward the second end and the second end toward the first end.The twist-ties of each pair are positioned on the cluster so as to atleast partially overlap along the longitudinal direction.

According to yet another example embodiment of a twist-tie cluster ofthe present disclosure, the twist-tie cluster includes a plurality oftwist-ties defining the cluster, each twist-tie comprising a fastenerincluding a malleable material surrounded by an outer coating having alongitudinal axis and extending between a first end and a second end andan indicia portion extending at least partially along the longitudinalaxis, the indicia portion including at least a portion that is attachedto the fastener and at least a portion that is separated from thefastener, wherein a separation between the indicia portion and thefastener defines a slit that extends from an open end toward a closedend in a direction of at least one of the first end toward the secondend and the second end toward the first end.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The inventive aspects of the present disclosure can be more easilyunderstood, and further advantages and uses thereof can be more readilyapparent, when considered in view of the detailed description and thefollowing Figures in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of a twist-tie fastener havingfeatures that are examples of inventive aspects in accordance with thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment of a twist-tie fastener havingfeatures that are examples of inventive aspects in accordance with thepresent disclosure; and

FIG. 3 illustrates an example embodiment of a twist-tie cluster formedfrom the twist-ties of FIG. 1.

In accordance with common practice, the various described features maynot be drawn to scale but are drawn to emphasize specific inventivefeatures relevant to the present disclosure. Reference characters denotelike elements throughout the Figures and the text.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shownby way of illustration, embodiments in which the inventions may bepracticed. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail toenable those skilled in the art to practice the inventive features, andit is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized andmechanical changes may be made without departing from the spirit andscope of the present disclosure. The following detailed description is,therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of thepresent inventive features are defined only by the claims andequivalents thereof.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide improved twist-tiefasteners.

A first embodiment of a twist-tie 10 having features that are examplesof inventive aspects is illustrated in FIG. 1. The twist-tie 10, asshown, defines a fastener portion 12 extending between a first end 14and a second end 16. The fastener portion 12 extends along alongitudinal axis A and defines a length L between the first and secondends 14, 16. The fastener portion 12 of the twist-tie 10 provides theclosure function for the twist-tie 10 and, in certain examples, includesa malleable material surrounded by an outer coating. According tocertain examples, the malleable material can be manufactured fromvarious metals and the outer coating may be of paper or polymericconstruction.

Still referring to FIG. 1, the twist-tie 10 of the present disclosurealso includes an indicia portion 18 extending at least partially alongthe fastener portion 12 of the twist-tie 10. The indicia portion 18provides an area or space 20 for the application of indicia. Forexample, the indicia portion 18 may be used by the consumers to provideindicia on the twist-tie 10 in addition to the fastening function of thetwist-tie 10, where the consumers can label the packages/bags enclosedby the twist-ties, take notes, or apply other indicia thereon. Incontrast to consumer use, the area 20 provided by the indicia portion 18may be used for branding and include pre-applied or printed indicia suchas coupon codes, advertising, or trademarks.

The indicia portion 18 of the twist-tie 10 includes at least a portion22 that is attached to the fastener 12 and at least a portion 24 that isseparated from the fastener 12. The separation between the indiciaportion 18 and the fastener 12 of the twist-tie defines a slit 26. Theslit 26 defines an open end 28 and a closed end 30 and extends betweenthe open and closed ends 28, 30.

In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the twist-tie 10 includes asingle slit 26 that extends in a direction from the first end 14 towardthe second end 16. As will be discussed in further detail below, othertwist-tie designs that provide for a first slit extending from an openend toward a closed end in the direction of the first end 14 toward thesecond end 16 and a second slit extending from an open end toward aclosed end in the direction of the second end 16 toward the first end 14are also contemplated as shown in FIG. 2. Such designs may includeindicia portions 18 that extend generally the entire length of thefastener portions 12 of the twist-ties 10 and may provide a largerarea/length for application of indicia, especially pre-applied orprinted indicia.

The separation of the indicia portion 18 and the fastener portion 12 ofthe twist-tie 10 via the slit 26 enables provision of a longer fastenerportion 12 for the twist-tie 10 than would otherwise be possible by anindicia portion that was fully attached to the fastener portion 12.Thus, in this manner, the length of the usable fastener portion 12 isincreased as compared to a twist-tie that does not utilize a slit. Sincea longer usable portion is enabled for the fastening function, theoverall length of the fastener portion 12 extending from the first end14 to the second end 16 (as well as the overall length of the twist-tie10) can be reduced for space savings. Conventional twist-ties that donot provide for a separation between the indicia portion and thefastener portion of the twist-tie often require a substantially longerfastener portion in order to fully utilize the closure function of thetwist-tie, making the overall twist-tie longer for a given indiciaportion.

As shown in the example of FIG. 1, the indicia portion 18 defines anangled side 32. The provision of the angled side 32 improvesmanufacturability. The angled side 32 allows a pair 34 of symmetrictwist-ties 10 shown in FIG. 1 to be provided as a unit in a cluster 36of twist-ties 10, where each twist-tie 10 of the pair 34 is positionedopposing each other and positioned so as to at least partially overlapalong the longitudinal axis/direction A. When positioned in this manner,the open end 28 of the slit 26 for each twist-tie 10 of a given pair 34is located at an opposite end of the pair 34.

With the specific design of the twist-tie 10 shown in FIG. 1, a blade ofa manufacturing apparatus can efficiently make the required slits 26 informing two separate twist-ties 10, each with a separate indicia portion18, from a single given piece of paper. A twist-tie cluster 36 thatincludes a plurality of the described twist-tie pairs 34 is shown inFIG. 3.

Another example of a twist-tie 110 is shown in FIG. 2. As noted above,in certain examples, the twist-tie 110 may define an indicia portion 118that extends generally along the entire length L of the fastener portion112. Such a design provides for a first slit 126 a extending from anopen end 128 a toward a closed end 130 a in the direction of the firstend 114 toward the second end 116 and a second slit 126 b extending froman open end 128 b toward a closed end 130 b in the direction of thesecond end 116 toward the first end 114. This type of a design may beadvantageous for providing branding on the twist-ties 110, where thebranding can extend along the entire length L of the twist-tie 110,while the fastener portion 112 is used for the closure function.

Although illustrated as such, it should be noted that the open ends 128a, 128 b of the slits 126 a, 126 b do not have to be adjacent the ends114, 116 of the fastener portion 112. The indicia portions 118 do nothave to extend all the way to the ends 114, 116 of the fastener portions112 and can be provided in differing lengths/sizes. The same isapplicable to all of the noted embodiments of the twist-ties.

Also, as shown in the depicted embodiments, in the twist-ties 10, 110 ofthe present disclosure, the closed ends of the slits are generallyprovided at a location that is positioned close to but at generally lessthan halfway along the length L of the fastener when taken in adirection from either the first end toward the second end or the secondend toward the first end (see, e.g., FIG. 1). In the example of thetwist-tie 110 shown in FIG. 2, the closed end 130 a of the first slit126 a is positioned close to but at less than halfway along the length Lwhen taken in a direction from the first end 114 toward the second end116, and the closed end 130 b of the second slit 126 b is positionedclose to but at less than halfway along the length L when taken in adirection from the second end 116 toward the first end 114. Thisconfiguration allows sufficient connection between the indicia portion18, 118 and the fastener portion 12,112 of the twist-tie 10, 110, whilemaximizing the length of the indicia portion 18, 118 along thelongitudinal direction. Placing the closed end of the slit close to thecenter-point of the fastener 12 (in combination with an angled side 32)also allows overlapping positioning of symmetric twist-ties 10 as shownin FIG. 3 to facilitate manufacturability and provide space saving.

1) A twist-tie comprising: a fastener portion extending between a firstend and a second end, the fastener portion configured for affixing thetwist-tie on an object; and an indicia portion extending at leastpartially along the fastener portion, the indicia portion including atleast a portion that is attached to the fastener portion and at least aportion that is separated from the fastener portion by a slit, the slitextending from an open end toward a closed end in a direction of thefirst end toward the second end, wherein the indicia portion isconfigured for application of indicia, wherein the portion of theindicia portion that is separated from the fastener portion by the slitis movable with respect to the fastener portion and with respect to saidobject to which the fastener portion can be affixed, wherein neither thefastener portion nor the indicia portion of the twist-tie includes anyadhesive material and wherein the indicia portion cannot be fastened tosaid object without the fastener portion of the twist-tie, and such thatthe indicia portion is not configured for attachment to any object, andwherein the indicia portion defines a side that is angled at an acuteangle relative to the direction that extends from the first end towardthe second end, wherein the angled side of the indicia portion islocated at an opposite side from a side of the indicia portion that isadjacent the open end formed by the slit. 2) A twist-tie according toclaim 1, wherein the fastener portion includes a malleable materialsurrounded by an outer coating. 3) A twist-tie according to claim 1,wherein the indicia portion includes pre-printed indicia thereon. 4) Atwist-tie according to claim 1, wherein the closed end is at a locationthat is positioned at less than halfway along the length when taken inthe direction from the first end toward the second end. 5) A cluster oftwist-ties comprising: a plurality of twist-ties defining the cluster,each twist-tie comprising: a fastener portion extending between a firstend and a second end, the fastener portion configured for affixing thetwist-tie on an object; and an indicia portion extending at leastpartially along the fastener portion, the indicia portion including atleast a portion that is attached to the fastener portion and at least aportion that is separated from the fastener portion by a slit, the slitextending from an open end toward a closed end in a direction of thefirst end toward the second end, wherein the indicia portion isconfigured for application of indicia, wherein the portion of theindicia portion that is separated from the fastener portion by the slitis movable with respect to the fastener portion and with respect to saidobject to which the fastener portion can be affixed, wherein neither thefastener portion nor the indicia portion of the twist-tie includes anyadhesive material and wherein the indicia portion cannot be fastened tosaid object without the fastener portion of the twist-tie, and such thatthe indicia portion is not configured for attachment to any object, andwherein the indicia portion defines a side that is angled at an acuteangle relative to the direction that extends from the first end towardthe second end, wherein the angled side of the indicia portion islocated at an opposite side from a side of the indicia portion that isadjacent the open end formed by the slit. 6) A cluster according toclaim 5, wherein each fastener portion includes a malleable materialsurrounded by an outer coating. 7) A cluster according to claim 5,wherein each indicia portion includes pre-printed indicia thereon. 8) Acluster according to claim 5, wherein each fastener portion defines alength extending between the first end and the second end, the slitdefining the closed end at a location that is positioned at less thanhalfway along the length when taken in the direction from the first endtoward the second end. 9) A cluster according to claim 5, wherein theplurality of twist-ties defines twist-tie pairs, each twist-tie of thepair defining a fastener portion extending along a longitudinaldirection between a first end and a second end and an indicia portionextending at least partially along the fastener portion, the indiciaportion including at least a portion that is attached to the fastenerportion and at least a portion that is separated from the fastenerportion by a slit, the slit extending from an open end toward a closedend in a direction of the first end toward the second end of eachtwist-tie of the pair, wherein the indicia portion of each twist-tie ofthe pair defines a side that is angled at an acute angle relative to thedirection that extends from the first end toward the second end, whereinthe angled side of the indicia portion is located at an opposite sidefrom a side of the indicia portion that is adjacent the open end formedby the slit, wherein the twist-ties of each pair are positioned on thecluster so as to at least partially overlap along the longitudinaldirection, and wherein when the twist-ties are positioned to at leastpartially overlap along the longitudinal direction, the angled sides ofthe twist-ties of the pair face each other. 10) A cluster according toclaim 9, wherein the open end of the slit for each twist-tie of a pairare positioned on opposite ends of the pair.